Piotr Kurek: “Becoming Light”

January 14, 2013 0

Piotr Kurek’s keyboard and organ driven composition “Becoming Light” is a fantastic and fully realized piece of music. Its as if Philip Glass traveled back in time to jam with The Doors’ Ray Manzarek because our ears are treated to bouncing lines of particle hopping keys rolling along to build a firm foundation for a classic organ lead line. This is beautiful stuff. Then of course there’s the video which captures the vibe of the music as well as any visual married to music can. Color and motion are important here. Blooming flowers, pollination scenes, the sun, big & small creatures undulating, water, and earth all pass by in the, “Brakhage reborn via Vimeo” montage. The clip is calming and warped at the same time. We recommend listening to the entire Krurek album, Edena, available on cassette from Sanoplasmo Records because the mind’s camera can supply further hallucinations as one drifts through the album. Happy tripping through the tulips!

Piotr Kurek’s Edena is now available on cassette from Sangoplasmo Records and digitally on Bandcamp

Written by Jeff Daily

Tags: edena, Europe, piotr kurek, poland, Reviews, Sangoplasmo Records, warsaw

Katapulto Mixtape

October 2, 2012 1

London by way of Poland multimedia artist Katapulto made us a mix. Please enjoy thoroughly/repeatedly and grab his Bad Tourist for free download from AM Discs.

About the mix:
This mix features old and new songs. A dreamy almost melancholic beginning turns into spastic synth disco and ends up at a Syrian wedding. It features many of my favourite artists.

Oh, and for the artwork I photographed shaving foam on reflective paper in my bathroom.

1. Actress Pets – Actress Pets
2. Kuedo – Visioning Shared Tomorrows
3. Gudrun Gut – Pleasuretrain
4. Momus – Dracula
5. Gate – Forever
6. Oppenheimer Analysis – Radiance
7. Holger Hiller – Gute Freunde
8. White Car – The Factor
9. Khan  – I got to
10. Felix Kubin – Hit Me Provider
11. Gary War – Grounds for Termination
12. Detachments – Audio Video
13. Dat Politics – My Toshiba is alive
14. Kap Bambino – Dead Lazers
15. Omar Souleyman – Dazeitlak Dezzelli

Tags: "Mix", Katapulto, London, mixtape, poland

micromelancolié Mixtape

September 19, 2012 0

Polish drone and noise artist micromelancolié has prepared a mixtape that repurposes repetitive structures to great effect:

international tapes mix by micromelancoliÈ is about drone’ing and singing.

more info about my sounds & videos:

www.coughserenades.blogspot.com

www.vvhscvlt.blogspot.com

Tags: ambient, drone, micromelancoliÈ, mixtape, poland

FALA: “PKP”

September 6, 2012 0

There’s lo-fi as aesthetic and lo-fi as necessity, and while FALA almost certainly fall into the latter category, it would almost be a shame to up their fidelity. The duo, made up of soon-to-be-married couple Patryk and Emily, who met teaching English in Katowice, Poland, have created something special with their debut EP, Safety Town. Single “PKP” (standing for Polish National Railroad, according to the band), is a fuzzed-out piece of indie pop with Emily taking lead vocals and Patryk chiming in to harmonize. The effect is similar to the Vaselines, without as much playful back-and-forth, but leans away from twee toward darker almost psych-rock realms. According to the duo, they’ll soon be moving away from Poland, to make their new home in Los Angeles. And, while we wish them the best, we hope the California sun doesn’t do too much to brighten their sound, which is just fine as is.

You can listen to, and purchase FALA’s Safety Town EP on their Bandcamp and a tape should be available soon

Written by Nathan Reese

Tags: couple, FALA, indie pop, LA, poland, twee

Katapulto: “Angry Markets”

April 26, 2012 0

Wojtas Brutus, who records and perform under the name Katapulto, comes to us from Bristol by way of Poland. After releasing a few videos last year that had us (repeatedly and somehow unsuccessfully) trying to track down his contact info and releasing his now sold out Animalia tape on Sangoplasmo this past winter, he’s returned with a fresh vid for “Angry Markets.” Inspired by a brief stint at a graphic design agency, this non sequitur journey – so laden with Photoshop, smiles, and strawberries – celebrates the noble stock photo, while speaking directly to harsher economic realities that boil under the many veneers of corporate niceties. The music and visuals reinforce each other’s eery, while emotional robot style vocals and stark synth tweaking guide the way. It all combines to create the ideal, controlled freakout for ears numbed to radio pop mechanics by sheer repetition and eyes better able to recognize logos than neighbors’ faces. “Consumer dissatisfaction” abounds! And it’s a deceptively good time.

While release details are pending, watch Katapulto’s site for details, listen to the “pseudo-educational” Animalia EP on Bandcamp, and catch the rest of his videos on Vimeo

Written by Luke Carrell

Tags: Angry Markets, bristol, Europe, Katapulto, poland, Reviews, United Kingdom

Walter Schnaffs – I Am Germany

December 17, 2010 0

Walter Schnaffs’ “I am Germany” comes to us as a recently uncovered and precious artifact. Long-buried alongside the leisure suit clad skeleton of Endless House, a short-lived, absolutely one of a kind “European super club” (more details) located in the wilds of Poland’s Bialowieska Forest. Tuneful and haunting, this enigmatic composition is reminiscent of Bernard Fevre’s work as Black Devil/Black Devil Disco Club, and recalls any decade in the last 40 years, the unconventional song structure and spare melodies leaving the piece in a strange genre limbo. Sharp mechanical outbursts and tape noise squelches perforate a menacing vitrified wall of analog synths, short circuiting the more spaced out feel that begins to take hold after the kick drum dies away midway through the song. As the emphasis continues to shift from rhythm to melody, it becomes clear that “I Am Germany” is truly an idiosyncratic specimen that can no longer afford to be ignored.

Walter Schnaff – I Am Germany

This and other electronic sphinxes are now available on Dramatic Records’ appropriately titled Endless House compilation

Written by Luke Carrell

Tags: all, Europe, poland, Tracks, walter schnaff